From January 8, Mumbai bus drivers’ body to go on indefinite strike
The strike that will begin on the midnight of January 7 is to demand higher grade pay for employees recruited from 2007, compassionate appointments and deliberations on a new wage agreement that was to come into effect from April 2016.
The New Year may bring along travel woes for Mumbaiites, as more than 35,000 employees of the transport wing of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking are set to go on an indefinite strike from January 8.
BEST has a fleet of 3,337 buses and ferries around 29 lakh passengers across the city and suburbs daily. The strike that will begin on the midnight of January 7 is to demand higher grade pay for employees recruited from 2007, compassionate appointments and deliberations on a new wage agreement that was to come into effect from April 2016.
Despite repeated attempts, Surendrakumar Bagde, general manager of BEST, was unavailable for a comment.
A joint action committee of labour unions in BEST on Thursday conducted a ballot to check if their members were in support of a strike. Of the 15,161 votes cast, 14,461 were in favour, 641 voted against it and 59 votes were invalid. Staff members are angry over the delay in payment of salaries, no bonus, pending retirement dues and poor condition of staff quarters. “We also want budget for BEST to be merged with that of its parent body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),” said Shashank Rao, leader of BEST Workers’ Union.
“The BEST panel has approved the proposal for the merger. We are awaiting the state’s nod. If our demands are not met, we will go ahead with the strike,” said Rao.
According to labour union leaders, if the budget is merged, BEST staff will get salary, bonus and other facilities on a par with civic workers.
BEST Kamgar Sena, a union affiliated to the ruling Shiv Sena, has decided to stay away from the strike. The strike will add to the troubles of BEST, which is facing financial crisis since April, in the absence of financial assistance from BMC or the state.